The Summer Book

Tove Jansson is best known for her Moomin books, but she did write for adults and this slim novel is a wonderful traipse through a summer on a remote island, following a young girl, her grandmother, and her father as they spend the summer together. _The Summer Book _ is a delightful get away book and I read it right at the end of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, which seemed appropriate timing.

Jansson mostly hops from chapter to chapter following the girl and her grandmother as they spend their days on the island together. The grandmother is a bit cranky, often wanting to rest, but the young girl often wins her over to going on some adventure. The relationship between them is beautiful and I’ll admit, I felt a bit of longing for being a young girl again on a summer day staying at my Grammie’s house and doing fun things.

And I’ll also admit that I would love to be in the world of the island for a summer, getting away from most of the rest of the world for a few months, since that isn’t really possible, the novel will have to do for now.